It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Verizon Anti-Mountain Rally For Coal Fizzles

Word got out late last week that Verizon had teamed up with a bunch of coal mining companies, including Massey Energy, to sponsor a big political rally in favor of mountaintop removal coal mining, in which mountains are blasted apart and then bulldozed flat in the search for veins of coal. The rally would show how many people support blowing up the appalacians, the sponsors said.

When the day of the rally actually came, however, the most dramatic impression people had was of empty seats. Massey Energy predicted that over 100,000 people would come. At the end of the day, Massey issued a statement stating that only something like 70,000 people had actually come. That probably means that only 40,000 or 50,000 people showed up, including corporate PR hacks who were paid to come.

So, the Verizon / Massey Energy pro-pollution rally fizzled like a damp firecracker. It’s no wonder, given what the rally was like. People paid by the coal industry, wearing t-shirts that read Coal is Our Future, harassed people with petitions against climate change legislation.

From the stage, people heard dull lectures from Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship about his corporate philosophy. Ted Nugent, the right wing’s berserker, gave a speech in which he declared, “I say, start up the bulldozers and get me some more coal, Massey.” Why would anyone want to dedicate their Labor Day to listening to these kinds of public relations messages from corporate management?

So, it seems that, by and large, people in the Appalachians don’t feel very fond of the idea of blowing up the mountains in their back yards, and poisoning their drinking water with heavy metals. Verizon doesn’t seem to have gained very much by supporting the few pro-coal die hards who showed up this weekend, while angering the much larger number of people who have respect for America’s lands and waters.

Upcoming Protest

Liberal Buttons, Political Bumper Stickers and Sweat-Free Shirts

To keep our voices independent of moneyed interests, the writers of Irregular Times have never accepted money for advertising on this website. But we still have to pay the bills! To help cover our expenses, we sell our own designs of liberal activist bumper stickers, buttons and sweatshop-free shirts.